A Few Moments in a Day - Friends and Futures
by imdoingthiswhy
Summary: Around the case they're working on, Castle and Beckett discover that Ryan and Jenny are about to buy a house; and Castle remembers how much he owes Ryan.


**A Few Moments in a Day**

**Friends and Futures**

Ryan held the crime scene tape up for Castle so he wouldn't have to chance spilling the two morning coffees he held.

"How's Jenny? Is she over the morning sickness?" Castle asked as he ducked under the tape.

"Yeah. She's feeling pretty normal again. It was rough on her, though. I felt so sorry for her."

"We haven't seen her in a while."

She mentioned that yesterday," Ryan answered, "and asked if maybe we could all get together soon."

"That sounds great. Are you interested in a light dinner and drinks at The Old Haunt tonight…my treat? All we have there is light dinner, but the food is good. We can check with Lanie and Esposito and see if they're free."

"I'll call Jenny when we're done here."

"Good," Castle answered, handing Beckett her coffee. "What have we got?" he asked, getting back to business before he took a sip from his own cup.

The body had been found at the entrance of a parking garage, causing a parking problem and angry stares from people arriving in the area for work.

"Male Caucasian, looks to be in his mid-thirties, three gunshot wounds to the chest," Lanie reported. Indicating one wound, she told them, "This one probably killed him, no indication of a fight. Right now it looks like he was shot and then robbed. Death was pretty recent…probably between five and six this morning.

Beckett added, "No wallet, no watch, no jewelry. Looks like he usually wore a ring on his left ring finger. There are marks that look like it had been worn there a good while. What looks like the contents of his pockets are scattered around…doesn't look like anything of value was left. We'll bag it after we get pictures."

Castle looked around for cameras as he answered. "So he either has a wife we need to contact, or he's very recently divorced. Is somebody checking on the security cameras?"

"Got the footage right here," Esposito said as he walked toward them."

"Find out what's open this early around here, whether anyone knows if this guy is usually here this early, and start there. See if anybody saw or heard anything unusual. Wait until you have a picture so you can see if anybody recognizes him, and take a couple of uniforms to help. Give that to Ryan. He can run the fingerprints when we get back to the precinct then see what was caught on camera. And try to find the wallet or the gun…anything else that looks connected."

"You got it," Espo responded as he went to hand the plastic case over to Ryan, then he went to round up a couple of officers to help him canvass the area.

After a more thorough look around the garage and the street outside it, Castle and Beckett took Ryan with them and left for the precinct. Ryan had already called his wife, who was happy to meet the others for dinner that night, and Castle had texted Lanie and Esposito so they could answer when they had time.

xxxxx

As they talked during the ride back, Ryan mentioned that he and Jenny had been house hunting.

"A house, not another apartment?" Castle asked. "Are you really ready to get into the whole yard mowing and shrubbery trimming thing?" he joked.

"Jenny in her fourth month, and our apartment won't be big enough after the baby. We had to start thinking about what we want, and we don't want another apartment. The commute will be longer, but we want our kids to have a backyard like we did. It wasn't too much of a backyard for either of us; but it was ours, where we felt safe and our parents didn't have to worry about us. All of us Ryans had to mow that yard when we got old enough, so I'm pretty sure I can cope."

"Did you find anything you like yet?" Beckett asked.

"We've narrowed it down to a couple of places that look promising. We both liked them until we saw the third one; but even with Jenny still working, we'd have to put way too much down on it to be able to afford the payments."

"What makes that one so special?" She was enjoying Ryan's enthusiasm at becoming a family man.

"It's on a corner lot, so there's a little more yard, and the backyard is already fenced. The rooms are bigger, and the floor plan is what we were hoping to find. It's in really good shape, not much work to be done. And it sounds crazy, but when we walked in, it just felt like home…had all the right vibes. It's kind of the transition house – the lower end of the more expensive neighborhood on one side and the higher end of the neighborhood we can actually afford on the other side. It's a nice, quiet area, though. Either of the other two houses would be a good place to live. With either of those, we could afford for Jenny to stay home with the baby at least until it's old enough for pre-school."

"Do we get to see them when we get back?" Castle asked.

"Sure. I'll run the fingerprints first, then show you."

"Getting your first house is exciting," Kate said. "We get a tour as soon as you move in, right?"

"Definitely. You'll be lucky if Jenny doesn't come in and drag you out of the precinct to show you after she runs out of family members who haven't seen it yet. She's beyond excited."

They all laughed as Beckett pulled into a parking space in front of the precinct and got out of the car. As they walked in, Castle's phone announced a text.

"Looks like we're on for tonight," he told them. "Lanie and Javi will meet us at seven. That okay with you, Ryan?" he asked as they entered the elevator.

"Perfect."

"I love how you consulted _me _about this, Writer-man." Kate said drily.

"Oops. We were eating out somewhere tonight anyway. Is this okay with you…dear?" he asked with his signature smirk.

"It's fine," she assured him, smirking back; and they heard Ryan's little snort of laughter as the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor.

They settled at their desks, and Ryan ran the fingerprints, finding they belonged to Carl Marshall Watson. No record at all other than a couple of minor traffic tickets. He had been in the army for ten years and was presently managing a sporting goods store in the area where he was found.

Amazingly, cameras at the parking garage entrance had captured the entire encounter, complete with a good look at the shooter's face. Ryan ran facial recognition and called his partners when he found a match, Bradley "Butch" Cassidy; and his list of priors told them it was high time he was off the streets, so Beckett sent a text to Esposito to tell him what they found. It appeared that their case had practically solved itself, but they still had to run down anything else that might be pertinent. Arrangements were made to bring the suspect in and for a search warrant for his apartment, and then they all relaxed temporarily.

"I can't believe it was that easy," Castle stated. "Something else is bound to show up to throw a monkey wrench in the works."

"Castle!" Kate warned, "Watch your mouth. Don't ruin the good vibes. I love it when we find stupid criminals."

"Speaking of good vibes…now might be a good time to show us those houses," Castle reminded Ryan.

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "It won't take long, and we can't do much more before they bring the suspect in. "Let's see."

"I'll show you the two we're actually thinking about," he answered with an enthusiastic smile. He found the two houses and pointed out the features they liked about each one. "We're going back to take another look on Thursday to decide…assuming they're both still on the market."

"They both look good," Kate said. "Now show us the one that felt like home."

"Understand that this is a fantasy. You're not likely to get a tour of this one, but here it is."

"I can see why you like it," Castle answered as Ryan pointed out the size of the yard, the light from the big windows, and the dining room that was big enough for their large families to gather for holiday dinners. "I can picture Jenny there. It looks…like her."

"I know. You should have seen her face when we walked in. We'll be happy in either of the others, though. We're just excited about having a house."

"You're gonna be a daddy, with a little kid to play with in the back yard," Castle said in a congratulatory manner, and they bumped fists. "You're gonna love it…most of the time, anyway."

Not long after that, the suspect was brought in and denied everything until they showed him the video. After he asked for a lawyer, he was placed under arrest and taken to holding, then Beckett and Castle took on the dreaded task of breaking the news to Mr. Watson's widow.

As they drove back from Addie Watson's office, Castle asked Kate to drop him off about five blocks from the loft. "I have a couple of things to do before dinner, and the case seems just about wrapped up. I'll be back at the loft by the time you get home."

She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "See you later," she said as he got out and closed the door.

xxxxx

The six friends gathered in the large booth Rick reserved for himself at The Old Haunt, and conversation flowed easily as they waited for their meals.

"The food can't get here too fast," Jenny commented. "It's so nice for everything to smell appetizing again."

As if on cue, the waiter came bearing the good smelling food, and the group of friends continued their conversation and razzed one another as they ate.

Around eight-thirty, Lanie and Esposito said that while neither of them was on call, they were going to see one of the summer's new action movies; and they left the other two couples behind. Since their early exit had given him the opportunity, Castle cleared his throat and looked like he was about to say something, but seemed hesitant.

"Is something wrong," Kate asked, looking a bit concerned.

"Not really. I did something this afternoon, and I hope it wasn't too far out of line."

"What did you do this time, man?" Ryan asked, leaning back with a grin, expecting it to be something that would put Castle in trouble with Kate again; and he seemed to be looking forward to the show.

Castle took a deep breath and told Ryan, "I talked to your realtor and told him to make an offer on the house you really wanted, and…"

"But, I told you, we can't…"

Holding up his hand to encourage Ryan to let him finish, Castle said, "Hear me out first. I saw my accountant this afternoon and had him cut a check for a down payment."

"Ca…"

"Knowing your Irish pride, I know you want to take care of your own family, so it's only a down payment; but I also talked to my banker. If you want to do business there, the loan is already approved. If you have someone else you'd rather work with, it should be no problem there, either. Either way, all you have to do is call my accountant, and he'll send the check by courier. The down payment is enough that Jenny can stay home with the baby as long as the two of you want. I hope I haven't overstepped my bounds; it can be undone if I have, but I owe you…a lot.

"What are you talking about, Castle? You don't owe me anything."

"Rick, I can't tell you how generous this is of you, but it's too much," Jenny answered, looking flustered. "We can't accept it; it's just…too much."

Kate looked at Castle, suddenly realizing why he felt he owed Ryan, and she reached over to take his hand lovingly. "This is what you had to do this afternoon?"

"Yeah," he answered quietly and covered her hand with his, leaning to kiss her forehead as she looked up at him.

"Jenny's right," Ryan told him. "We can't…"

"Before you rule it out, answer this. Imagine that Jenny was hanging off the side of a building by her fingertips and you weren't there to help. If I got help there to save her and grabbed her hand just as she was falling, how much would you feel you owed me?"

Ryan suddenly seemed to understand where all this was coming from. "Pretty much everything, I guess," instinctively looking at Jenny and reaching to put his arm around her protectively at even the thought of such a thing.

"Kevin, Kate wouldn't be here if it weren't for you; and if I adopted you and Jenny and supported you for the rest of your lives, it still wouldn't be enough to show you how much that means to me. She and I had a huge battle of wills before that happened; and for the rest of my life, that's how I would have remembered leaving her. You're the reason I still have her. You gave us back our entire future, our second chance to make it work. Let me at least give you a stepping stone in yours. It's so much less than you did for me, but it's something I can do…something I _want_ to do."

Seeing Castle look down and then look at Kate, holding both her hands, both of them looking a little teary, Ryan understood how important that generous offer was to Castle. He looked at Jenny, and she nodded. "Then thank you," he answered. "You'll be at the first dinner in the new dining room."

"We'll be there. Just say when," Castle told them with a smile.

"We have a house? The one we really wanted?" Jenny giggled.

Ryan squeezed her shoulders tighter, saying, "Looks like we do."

"The ball is back in your court now," the writer told them as he slid two business cards across the table. "Your realtor should call you tomorrow. Those are cards for my accountant and my banker. You handle things the way you want from here." He looked relieved that his offer was accepted, and he suggested, "Champagne to celebrate a new house…and sparkling something for the mom at the table?"

"Yeah. That sounds good," Ryan answered.

Castle got up and went to tell the bartender which of their best champagnes to bring to the table, and to order something non-alcoholic for Jenny…but told him to put it in a champagne flute like the other drinks.

The drinks were delivered, and the four of them raised their glasses. "To friends and futures," Ryan toasted. The other three repeated the toast and finished their drinks.

After a few minutes, Ryan said, "We should get home. I'm driving."

"And I'm pregnant," Jenny added, "and fading fast."

"If I stay, I could definitely help you finish that bottle. You broke out the good stuff, didn't you?"

Castle just smiled and raised his refilled glass to Ryan. "We'll do it again sometime."

Kate and Castle stood to walk their friends to the door, and they all exchanged hugs before they left. Walking back to their booth holding his hand, Kate said, "You're pretty special. You know that?"

"You think so?" As they slid back into their booth, he asked, "Is that because I give people things or because of my ruggedly handsome, sexy body?"

"Your heart," she answered, pausing for effect. "And your ruggedly handsome, sexy body," and she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss that left him not caring why she thought he was special, just so she kept kissing him that way.


End file.
